The effect of Van Gogh on vulnerable older People Marthe de Vet Head of Education&Interpretation Van Gogh Museum + founder Elderly People Meet Van Gogh Hélène de Koekkoek Associate Elderly meet Van Gogh Marthe/Helene voorstellen Head of Edu&Interpr VGM + coworker program Elderly Meet Van Gogh

In 2014 lanceerde VGM met partners uit zorg en welzijn programma Ouderen ontmoeten VG waarin we met workshops naar kwetsbare ouderen toegaan. Getrainde kunstenaar-docent geeft de workshop, een combinatie van leren, aanraken, zelf doen, ervaring delen.

Our goals • To make Van Gogh’s art and life story accessible to vulnerable older people • To inspire older people to become more active through arts and culture • To strengthen the social networks of vulnerable older people • To encourage active participation in arts and culture among the elderly Met ons programma wilden we Ouderen door Van Gogh laten ervaren wat ze kunnen en wie ze zijn.

Research group Workshops Age partners health & wellbeing Vier het Leven 16% Additional 24% De Zonnebloem 22% Cordaan 38%

Research objectives 1. How do older people experience the program? 2. How does the program encourage them to become more active?

Research design Qualitative Quantitative - participatieve observatie van de workshops (informatie ontstaat in informele settings) visuele media (video+fotgrafie) - open diepte interviews binnen 3 weken na de workshop (narratief, met aandacht voor levensgeschiedenis van deelnemer). 34 ouderen geinterviewd: 12 mannen-22 vrouwen. Gemiddeld 78 jaar oud. aangevuld met focusgroepdiscussies met verschillende partners + kunstgebaseerde methodes (waarbij onderzoekster+deelnemers gemaakte kunstwerken analyseren en interpreteren)

Methods Observation of 45 workshops (+ video + photo) 34 interviews Group discussions Art-based methods Grounded Theory

Quantification Based on UCL Museum Wellbeing Measures Toolkit, Dr. H.J. Chatterjee & L.J. Thomson

Results Kwantitatief: Met eenvoudige tellingen en statistieken. Statement n Range Min Max Mode Median Mean Std. Dev. Rating mood I felt happy 283 4 1 5 4,01 0,97 I felt engaged 238 3 2 4,14 0,936 I felt comfortable 234 4,41 0,803 I enjoyed the company of other people 237 4,36 0,848 Rating workshop Is this activity new to you? 227 3,69 1,382 Would you recommend this activity to others? 126 3,67 0,23 Kwantitatief: Met eenvoudige tellingen en statistieken.

Potential art lovers 56% have never been in contact with arts or culture In this subgroup, 63% developed an interest in arts and culture

Cultural participation

Motivation for participation Participants   Discovering a talent Rediscovering a talent Further developing Yes 40% 18% 45% No 42% 15% Not explicit Participants with a cultural background   Discovering a talent Rediscovering a talent Further developing Yes 34% 33% 60% No 40% 20% Not explicit 26% 47%

Values M. Huber, Maastricht University

Mental functions “We don’t care so much for bingo and that kind of thing. I mean, so little is expected of you. Here you can even learn something.” (Woman, 86, eldercare institution)

Spiritual dimension & Quality of life What did you like most about the workshop? Participant: ‘Well, she gave me the feeling I could draw anything.’ (Woman, eighty-two, living at home) ‘…the lawn, two poles, my mother hanging up laundry. The lilac tree. We had a fairly small patio where I did my homework in the summer… It has been a journey down memory lane.’ (Woman, 86, healthcare institution)

Social participation “Even though we were all working individually, you were still in contact with the others, because we talked about what we were doing, what we felt, and what we saw, which I found to be very captivating.” (Woman, 86, living at home)

How do we use our research? Period: 2014-2017 From first encounter to museum visit Elderly meet Van Gogh Workshop 1 Mobile studio Workshop 2 Landscapes & Colour Workshop 3 Letters Van Gogh Museum visit

Van Gogh Hubs in The Netherlands

Any questions? More information E-mail www.vangoghmuseum.com www.kunstmaaktdemens.nl Engage, Journal issue 39 E-mail kunstmaaktdemens@vangoghmuseum.nl Marthe de Vet: devet@vangoghmuseum.nl Hélène de Koekkoek: dekoekkoek@vangoghmuseum.nl